Plunger-elevator.



SQIHI.

Patented July 3|, |906.

. i ,f 1 2 al n rd L J. A. DEAN'.

PLUNGER ELEVATOR. @Application med sgpt. s, 1809.)

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'NTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. DEAN, or WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

'PLUNcER-ELEVATos.

SPECIFICATION forming part o f lrhettersy PatentrNo.l654,876, dated July 31, 1900.

Application filed September 23, ASerial No. 731,395. (llo modell.

T0 allv whom/it may con/cern:V

Beit known that I, JOHN A. DEAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and .Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Plunger-Eleva-- tors, of which the following is a specification, accompanied by drawings forming a part of the same, in whichei Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a plunger elevator with the water cylinder, valve-cylinder, and valves shown in vertical central sectional view, with the valves in position to operate the elevator in raising a heavy load. Fig. 2 isa verticalcentral sectional view of the valve-chambers and valves with the latter in position when the elevatorcar is held at rest. Fig. 3 is a vertical central sectional view of the valve-chamber and the valves with the latter in position to operate the elevator in raising a light load. Fig. 4 is a vertical central sectional view of the valve-chamber and valves with the latter in position to allow the elevator-car to descend.

Similar numerals `refer to similar parts in the dierent figures.

The object of my present invention is to provide means for raising the car of a plunger-elevator under the conditions of a light or heavy load by varying the effective surface subjected to water-pressure, thereby effecting economy in theuseof water when alight load is to be raisedby decreasing Vthe `v olume of water to be taken from the water-main; and it consists in the construction 'and arrangement of parts as hereinafter described,

annular water-space 3 between the cylinders` 1 and 2. The cylinder 1 is closed at' the bottom, and mounted upon its upper end isan annular shell 4, inclosing an annular Waterchamber 5, communicating with the annular water-space 3 between the cylinders land 2 and having a supply-pipe 6 leading fromthe valve.' Mounted upon the annular shell 4 is an annular shell 7, inclosing the annular wa-y ter-chamber 8, communicating, by means of `the/,holes 9with the inner cylinder 2. The linner cylinder has its upper end screwed into the annular shell'7 with'its' lower 'end open audterminating a short distance above the bottom of theWater-cylinder 1.' Attached to the upper end of the annular shell 7 is a stuff-` ing-box 10, through which passes a plunger 11,having a car 12 mounted thereon and having its lower end clos'edby a plug 13, in which.

is screwed a shell 14, having a projecting flange 15, nearly filling the interior of the in-L ner cylinder 2 and suitably packed to prevent the passage of` Water, in the present instance by. means of aleather washer 16. The shell 14l incloses the chamber 17, which communi-i f c'atesby holes l8wi-th the annular space V19 between the plunger 11 and the inner cylinder 2. The chamber 17 communicates by holes 2O with the space below the plunger, and the holes 20 are closed by a check-valve 2l, which is held in its normal position by a spiralspring 22. The check-valve 2l allows water to pass from the annular space 19 to the e space 23 beneath the plunger.` The annular water-chamber 8 in theupper Ashell 7 is con! nected by a pipe 23 withthe valve-cylinder 24.` The valve-'cylinder 24 consists of an i11- `ner pipe 25 and an outer jacket 26, having l interior flanges fitting the pipe 25and inclosing a series'of annular chambers 27, 28, 29,

l and 30, each of which communicates with the 'inner pipe 25 by apertures 31,32, 33, and 34. vThe lower end of the innerfpipe 25 communito which a reciprocating motion is given by a lever 39, pivoted to a bracket 40, projecting from the valve-cylinder and having its opposite end connected with a tillerLrope 41 in the usual-manner. The valve-spindle 3S is pro- 4vided with valves 42 and 43, attached to and IOC moving with the spindle, and also'with the valves 44 and 45, carried by a spool 46, which is capable of a limited sliding motion on the valve-spindle 38, between the shoulder 47 and a nut 48 on the valve-spindle.

When the elevator-car is held in a state of rest, the valve-spindle and the valves 'assume the position represented in Fig. 2, with an open communication between the pipes 23 and 36, but with the communication between the pipes 37 and 6 closed, thereby preventing the low of 4water'to the elevator, which would" raise the plunger, and with the passage between the pipes 6 and 35 closed, thereby preventing the escape of water from the elevator to the exhaust-pipe, which would causethev tion -between the water-supply pipe-37 and' the pipe 6, admitting water under pressure to the annular chamber 5 and through the annular water-space 3 to the space 23 beneath the plunger, causing the plunger to be raised by a water-pressure applied to a surface equal to the area of the inner pipe 2 in cross-section, any water that may be in the annular space l9being allowed to flow out` through the pipe 23 and pipe 36 to the exhaust-pipe 35. In order to cause the elevator to descend, the valve-spindle is raised, bringing the valve 42 between the pipes37 and 6, thereby opening the communication between the pipe 6 and the exhaust-pipe 35` and stopping the valve 43 just below the apertures 32, which communicate with the pipe 36. The elevation of the valve-spindle 38 will raise the spool 46, by means 'of a shoulder 47, above the aperturesBl, communicating with the pipe 23, thereby opening the communication between pipes 23 and 36. As the plunger descends the water contained in the inner cylinder 2 is forced down by the plunger and up through the space 3 through the pipe 6 to the exhaustpipe 35, and the descent of the plunger will produce a partial vacuum in the annular space 19, which will become filled with water iowing upward from the exhaust-pipe 35, through pipes V36 and 23, into the inner cylinder 2. As the plunger descends it is brought to a state of restV at any desired position by shift# ing the valve stem and valves from the position shown in'Fig. 4 to that shown in Fig. 2, in which'the valve-stem 38 is moved from the position shown in Fig. 4 just far enough to close the com munication between the pipes 6 and,35 without opening the communication between the pipes 37 and 6 and allowing the spool 46 to remain in its elevated position, as

4shown lin Fig. 2.

When the car is to be raised with 'a' light load, the valve-stem 38 is moved down, carrying the valves from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 3, bringing the valve 42 below the apertures 34, thereby closing the communication between-the pipe 6 and the exhaust-pipe ,35' and openingthe communication between the water-supply pipe 37 and the pipe 6,thereby admitting water from the annular space 3 to the space 23 beneath the plunger and moving the spool 46 down until the valve 44 is brought between the apertures 31 and 32, thereby closing the communication between the pipe 23 and the pipe 36, so that as the plunger is raised the water contained in the annular space 19 is prevented from owing through the pipe 23v and is made to pass through the chamber 17 by the check-valve 2l into the space 23 beneath the plunger, thereby supplying a portion of the water required lto lill the inner cylinder 2 as the plunger rises by transferring the water in the inner cylinder,which is above the flange 15 to the space below the ange, and as'the pressure above the flange 15 counterbalances the corresponding pressure below the ilange` the elective water-pressure applied to raise the plunger will beequal to that applied to an area equal to the diameter of theplunger instead of an area equal to the diameter of the inner cylinder, as when the water in the space 19 is exhausted through the pipe 23 in raisin-g a heavy load. If the waterpressure applied to raising the plunger be eq-ual to one hundred pounds to the square inch and the area of the inner cylinder 2 be fty inches,a lifting pressure of five thousand pounds will be applied to raise the plunger, whereas if the area of the plunger in crosssection be eighteen inches the effective pressure in lifting a light load will be only eighteen hundred pounds, and any economy in the use of water will be eiected equal to the volume of water contained in the annular Aspace 19. e Q

When both light and heavy loads are to be' raised, the valve-spindle` is moved 'downwardly fromrits position when the plunger is held in a state of rest,which is the normal position of the ,valve-stem and the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings; but the downward motion is greater in case a heavy load is to be raised, allowing the valves to be moved downwardly a shortdistance in order to raise a light load and in case the water-pressure is not found sufficient to be moved still farther in order to release the water in the space 19, and thereby increase the elective pressure on the plunger. The extreme movement of the valves 44 Vand 45, carried in the spool 46,l is less than the extreme movement of the valves 42 and 43, carried on the valvestem 38, and this diierence in movement is provided for by the lost motion caused by the spool sliding on the valve-stem between the shoulder 47 and nut '48.

IOO

IIO

c5-iste s In order to indicate to the attendant Vwhen in the movement of the tiller-rope, the movement of the valves necessary` to raise a light load has been fully completed, various devices may be used; but in the accompanying drawings I have shown one method. by which this may be conveniently accomplished The lever 39, by which the valve-spindle is moved, is made to pick up a weight when the downward motion of the valve-spindle has reached the proper point to raise a light load. The rising end of the lever 39 is made to engage a hook 49 on the end of a rod 50, attached to a weight 51, which normally rests upon the iioor 52 or other support.

I am aware that it is'not new to construct a hydraulic elevator with two lifting capacities depending on the area of effective waterpressure; but I believe it to be new to provide means whereby this result can be accomplished in the case of a plunger-elevator where the water-cylinder is sunk below the surface of the ground, making it necessary toadmit water to the top of the cylinder onl y. What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters'Patent, is-

` inder, an annular space between said cylinders, a watersupply pipe communicating with said annular space, substantially as described.

2. In a plunger-elevator, the combination of an outer cylinder, an inner cylinder united to said outer cylinder at itsA upper end and having its lower end open, a plunger inclosed in said inner cylinder, an annular space between the outer and inner cylinders, a watersupply pipe communicating with said annular space, an inclosed annular space between said inner cylinder and said plunger, a water-passage connecting said annular space around the plunger with the inner cylinder and a check-valve closing said water-passage, substantially as described.

3. In a plunger-elevator, the combination of an outer closed cylinder, an inner cylinder communicating -at the lower end with said outer cylinder, a plunger inclosed in said inner cylinder with an annular space between said cylinders and an annular space between said inner cylinder and said plunger, a water pipe communicating with the annular space between said cylinders, va pipe communicating with the annular space between said inner cylinder and said plunger, and a valve mechanism for controlling the passages in said water-pipes, 'substantially as described.

4. In a plunger-elevator, the combination with the outer closed cylinder 1 and the inner cylinder 2 open at its lower end, and a plunger inclosed in said inner cylinder and having a flange fitting said inner cylinder with an annular space 3 between said cylinders and an annular space 19 between said inner cylinder and said plunger, of a Water-pipe communicating with the annular space between said cylinders, a water-pipe communicating with the annular space between said inner cylinderand said plunger, valve mechanism for controlling the passages in said water-pipes, a water-passage between said annular space 19 and the space beneath said plunger and a check-valve closing said water-passage, substantially as described.

5. In a plunger-elevator, the combination of an outer closed cylinder 1, a shell 4c attached to the upper end of said cylinder and inclosing an annular chamber 5 communicating with said cylinder, a shell 7 attached to said shell 4 and inclosing an annular chamber 8, an inner pipe 2 having its upper end attached to said shell 7 and communicating i at its lower end with said outer cylinder, wa-

ter-pipes communicating with the annular chambers 5 and 8, valvemechanism for controlling the passages in said pipes, a plunger i inclosed in said inner cylinder and having a liange fitting said inner cylinder, a Water-passage between the spaces above and below said iiange anda check-valve by which said water-passage is closed, substantiallyas described.

6. In a plunger-elevator having an `outer and an inner cylinder and a plunger sliding in said inner cylinder, a Valve mechanism for controlling the Water -supplyv and exhaust comprising a valve-stem having a reciprocating motion, valves carried by said valve-stem, a spool held on said valve-stem and capable of a limited sliding motion thereon and valves carried by said spool whereby the reciprocating motion of said valve-stem willimpart a less` reciprocating movement to said spool, substantially as described. V

7. In a plunger-elevator, the combination with an outer and an inner cylinder communicating at their lower ends, a flanged plunger acting in said inner cylinder with a` wa- IOO IIO

ter-,passage connecting the opposite sidesof of a closed outer cylinder, an inner cylinder communicating with the outer cylinder at its Vlower end, a hanged plunger inclosed in said inner cylinder forming an inclosed annular Space around said plunger, awater-passage between Said nular. space -und beneath the V0I'. filled from said ,e'Xhauskt-pipe,v Substantially plunger, aehe'ek-valve closing said wapen-m31 asdeseribed"l f f f sageglwaterfspplyyand exhaust pipes' Qon- Dated the 19th day ,of September, 1899. neeted with said'outer cylinder, awaten-.past l' 5 sage from -theaannularspaee around said` plunger-tiotheexhaustfpipeandavalve meehf? Witnesses: mism for opening and closing said pzmsages,V RUFUS B. F.0WLER,

whereby said annular `space is .emptedxnto H. M. FOWLER.

JOHNv A. DEAN. 

